James Ruppert
Electric cars causing confusion
A Reva G-wiz for just over £3k seemed absurdly expensive
Right now, the elephant on the used car forecourt is an electric one. It is rather difficult to see at the moment because it is hiding on tiptoes behind a part-exchange Nissan Patrol. If we all listened to the media, everyone would be swapping their cars for something with a battery. They are not, and won’t until they have to. That point will come when there are ANPR systems ringing city centres to fine everything that isn’t battery powered. Meanwhile, there’s complete and utter confusion over what is a soft, hard, medium or parttime hybrid. No one knows or cares, unless it makes their tax bill cheaper. (See further: plug-in hybrids.) So what is a used car enthusiast to do?
First of all, do nothing until the situation is clear and we know exactly how we are to be penalised. So if you need a car, spend £5000 on something nice, just to cheer yourself up. We’ll come back to that.
Because local governments in particular have no clue when it comes to what a low-emissions vehicle is, a hybrid of any description will probably qualify for some sort of exemption. An ex-uber will do, then. There are thousands to choose from, and rather than the Ubvious Toyota Prius, it is a Honda Civic IMA, please: a 2004 one with 130,000 miles or so and black leather at just a grand. It’s much better than the cat-c Prius, which presumably did a three-point turn in a one-way system. I found more Civic IMAS at around £1000 and one of them even had a new battery – probably the small one that runs the starter etc, rather than the important pricey pack.
However, if there is a full-on internal-combustion ban in your town centre, consider these. First off, avoid a Reva G-wiz whatever the price. I saw one at just over £3k, which seemed absurdly expensive. As with all of those preposterous vehicles, the mileage after six years is a marginal 7500 miles, so no planet saving there. Far better to get a Renault Twizy, which at least has a sense of fun rather than the Reva’s whiff of despair. Just £4495 buys a 2012 Twizy.
If you want proper doors and don’t want to be pointed at, £5k buys a Renault Zoe Dynamique from as recently as 2014. There is the Nissan Leaf option, at similar money, but it doesn’t look as cool, if that matters.
If that wasn’t enough fun for you, let’s go and have some real fun with our money, except that there isn’t enough space. Never mind. Next time.